Shloka 11
Uttanka’s Inquiry and Vāsudeva’s Adhyātma Exposition
Guṇa–Ritual–Immanence Teaching
अपि संधाय तान् वीरानुपावृत्तोडसि केशव । सम्बन्धिन: स्वदयितान् सतत वृष्णिपुड्रव,केशव! क्या तुम उन वीरोंमें संधि कराकर ही लौट रहे हो? वृष्णिपुंगव! वे कौरव, पाण्डव तुम्हारे सम्बन्धी तथा तुम्हें सदा ही परम प्रिय रहे हैं
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: api sandhāya tān vīrān upāvṛtto 'si Keśava? sambandhinaḥ svadayitān satataṃ Vṛṣṇipuṅgava; Kauravāḥ Pāṇḍavāś ca tava sambandhinaḥ, tvāṃ ca sadā parama-priyāḥ.
Vaiśampāyana said: “Keśava, are you returning only after having brought about a reconciliation with those heroes? O foremost of the Vṛṣṇis, the Kauravas and the Pāṇḍavas are your own kinsmen, and they have always been exceedingly dear to you.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid the aftermath of war, dharma favors restoring harmony where possible—especially among kin. The verse highlights Kṛṣṇa’s ethical burden as a relative to both sides and frames reconciliation as a higher duty than mere victory.
Vaiśampāyana addresses Kṛṣṇa (Keśava), asking whether he is returning only after arranging a settlement with the principal warriors. He emphasizes that both Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas are Kṛṣṇa’s relatives and always dear to him, underscoring the personal and political stakes of peace-making.